Sunday, October 5, 2008

I've been meaning to get here for a while. Just seems like there is always something else I need to get done before I take the time to ramble here. It's been a long, crazy month or so.

Grandma was 87 on Oct. 3rd. I think that's what she told me...87? So I guess that means Grandpa is pushing 90--if not 90 already. I cannot keep track of ages--I'm doing well to remember everyone's birthdays. Granted, I'm not so great at getting cards in the mail these days. Oh I buy them... but then they never seem to get sent. I wonder how long is too long to finally get them sent off? My mom and sister Shelly had birthdays on July 30th---I still have their cards. *sigh* So anyway, I need to get back out to TX and visit my Grandparents. It was a little bit shocking to realize that Grandma may not be quite as "sharp" as she used to be. There were several occasions in which her comments seemed a bit odd--like when she mentioned my cousin and said, "She's one of your friends." Ummm... well, sure.. but she's my cousin. She also mentioned that said cousin works for an Optometrist. Yep, Cindy has worked for this Optometrist for years. I was a bit thrown when she went on to inform me that Cindy is the "dish and bottle washer" there. I need to get to Texas..................................................................................

A funny thing happened the other day in Kindergarten. Well, I thought it was funny. I had the worst time containing myself for quite a while afterward. I couldn't even relay the events to my husband without the same tears of laughter all over again. Maybe I was tired.... at any rate, it was definitely journal-worthy.

I was getting ready to read the book "Mabela the Clever." This book tells the story of a cat who invites a village of mice to learn about her "secret cat society." Before reading, I showed the cover of the book to my class and asked them which animal they thought was clever. We'd discussed the meaning of the word clever several times in previous weeks.

After a little discussion they decided the cat must be the clever one. They noticed something else about the picture. "The cat looks like she wants to eat the mouse!" To this I asked, "How do you think this little mouse feels?" Hmmm... they weren't too sure. Maybe sad? Mad? So I asked, "Well, if you were about to be eaten, how might you feel?"

For just a moment I was stunned to silence... and then I cracked up. Yummy? I couldn't stop laughing. "Yes... I suppose if you were about to get eaten you might feel......... yummy." ?? !!!!!! Oh my gosh! Eventually, I elicited the answer I was looking for, "Scared... frightened.." Yet the hilarity of the initial answer wasn't lost. I continued to try to read... through tears of laughter. This was not working out so well and at one point I got up to find a tissue to stem the flow of tears. The kids thought I was just about the funniest teacher on the planet.

The following day my husband brought me flowers and balloons for my birthday. He asked my class about the laughing incident the day before and they informed him, "She was crying!" LOL Whew.... I love Kindergarten!